Acts 24:1~9
The Charges of the Holy Spirit
Not only being legally charged, but also being attacked or criticized, even including ones inner voice, can be called an accusation. Paul, who was a letter from the Holy Spirit delivered to Roman governor Felix, was 'accused' in order for his words to spread throughout the world. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon the accusation, it turned into the greatest grace. Today, lets think about how the accusations we make to condemn each other could turn into the charges of the Holy Spirit.
First, the charges of the Holy Spirit do not go down to the world.
As the persecution of the Jews who wanted to kill Paul continued, Pauls argument continued. Pauls pleadings must have given strength to the early church in the midst of suffering to overcome difficulties. In order to become a letter from the Holy Spirit in our religious life, we must face numerous oppositions and make countless arguments. Ananias, the high priest, teamed up with his elders and a Greek-speaking Jewish lawyer, Tertullus, to accuse Paul in front of the governor Felix. In the Word, it is said that the high priest and his companions 'came down' together, mefaning that theyve done it in a worldly way, not spiritual way. Also, there are multiple subjects, but the verb is singular. This is because only the high priest, the main culprit of all schemes, was designated as the subject. The high priest was originally supposed to be in the temple to prepare for worship, but out of hatred, he went down the road for five days and entered the Gentile Court. Having the power, authority, and ability to hire a lawyer, he left the place of worship and went down. Therefore, it is a true blessing that there is no authority or power in me because it will keep me from 'going down' when someone makes an accusation against me. In any situation, keeping my seat and risking my life to keep my place at home, church, and ranch is ultimately the charge of the Holy Spirit that makes someone else repent. The word, empanizo, which translates into accusation originally means to reveal conspicuously. It also has the meaning of Jesus appears before God on our behalf before the judge. In other words, the incident of accusing Paul turned into the incident of making him well-known, which is like Jesus appearing to defend Paul. So, if we do not go down in the worldly way and keep our places quietly, Jesus will defend us and make us a true letter of the Holy Spirit.
Second, if we stumble on the words, we end up with the accusation of the world.
Paul stood as the defendant in an unfair trial, in which all the Jews represented by Ananias were plaintiffs, and Felix, who had already taken the bribe, was the judge. The plaintiffs lawyer, Tertullo, praised, with noble words, Felix who only cared about money while accusing Paul of an epidemic who tried to defile the temple and caused the riots. With Tertullos fluent speech, Paul was marked as an epidemic, and the Jews all agreed with the leader groups decision and claimed to be a witness. Ironically, to accuse Paul of harming Jewish identity by getting along with Gentiles, they pleaded to the governor of the Gentiles for their own benefit and interest. The accusation against us is bound to accompany such offensive words. Even if we are patient, if we get caught up in a single word and accuse them back, we will inevitably end up being accused by the world. Only when we stand as a witness of Jesus can the accusations we receive turn into accusations of the Holy Spirit. It would be wise to think about what God is trying to tell us when we are attacked at home, at work, and at church.
Third, the charges of the Holy Spirit inform the people scattered across the world.
In verse 5, when accusing Paul, it is said we saw, and it means heuresco, which is to know at a glance. That is why he said that by looking at Paul at a glance, he could tell that he was a person like an epidemic. How did Paul react when he heard this? He might have agreed to this as he was the one who preached the gospel to all parts of the world and caused disciples to form and churches to be established. This is a shift in thinking through the eyes of God. If we think of all events from the point of view of salvation, we can see differently. The accusation in verses 2 and 8 means to publicly ask in the agora and to publicize it by pointing out the sin. An agoda where many people gather is like our ranch where we fiercely expose and confess our sins before the Word. It is like our sharing is spread out when we share our wounds and sins in the ranch in a way that we have never done to anyone before. QTIN has been translated into English. Our sharing is read by Christians scattered around the world, calling us to be the first persons to spread the gospel. Just as the accusation of Tertullus opened the letter of Paul and spread the gospel, the accusation against us will do the same when we persist in belif.
I will introduce a touching letter from community sharing. 'I always did my best at work, but a difficult situation came when I was excluded from the project due to the incomprehensible disregard of the boss I trusted. I showed symptoms of acute depression and panic disorder, so I decided to go to a psychiatrist. It was difficult to see a doctor without an appointment, but without knowing this I visited the office without an appointment, and a man who was waiting in line gave his spot to me. And we had a chance to talk while waiting, and I had a wonderful experience that gave me peace of mind as I spent much more time than counseling. It turned out that the man was a pastor, and he comforted me by telling me about his lifetime hardships. He told me to come to his church, listen to the Word, and join a small group meeting. Because this encounter was unforgettable to me, I decided to attend the worship service he was attending. And although it was a little strange at first, the worship service gave me a series of shocks. Like Felix, I also had lived as a slave to money and honor and acted surbservient or authoritative to others to hide my sense of inferiority. But it was very comforting to me that I had to write letters to such people. And I thought that it was as if I had received a letter to come to our church from a pastor whose name I did not know at a psychiatrist.'
Having married Jesus, we must not fall for accusations in any form. Today is Parents Day. There are no good parents or bad parents, but only the parents who made us believe in Jesus. I pray that all of you come to have Gods perspective and that our accusation against each other in the family will turn into the charges of the Holy Spirit which will spread out the gospel.
